Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-07-27
ERRORS IN PRISON MANAGEMENT

While the investigation as to the
charges Of cruelty at the Folsom prison is
to go on, it is to be sincerely regretted
that 1t is to proceed from such a beginning
For 1t Is undeniable that the very best and
speedlest way to break down discipline,
and render the keeping of convicts diff
cult, Is to teach them that their keepers
are liable to be overhauled on their COM
plant through the press We venture to
say that the charges preferred by Director
tilcher through a newspaper have rem
dered break at either prison more liable,
and have increased the difficulties of con-
troll. Directors of such institutions ought
to deal with their officers, but not 90
about Individually uttering charges of
conviets communicated to them. The
Director should, if prisoner complains to
him. bring the matter before the Board
and have any wrong righted and any NAL
feasance punished. 1t cannot in anv way
contribute to discipline in the prisons nor
benefit the non-complaining prisoners to
have the matter heralded among all tho
convicts. In fact, it is dangerous and
l,nwise thing to do, and is so recognized in
every prison management in the United
States, without exception.
To insure perfection of management in
such institutions the directory must not
belittie its officers, or in the presense of
the conviets manifest any lack of faith in
them. The officer should be Judged by
his work, by the results of his admins
tration, but not brought to trial before the
very men whom it is essential to safety
and order must obey him and believe in
him.
An instance is in mind ct a Director of a
prison, who, in passing through the eating
department on visitation day, made a
remark about the food, in the hearing of
prisoners which should have been uttered
only at meeting of the Board. The re-
suit was that soon thereafter a hundred
and nifty convicts marched to the gates in
: body and demanded to be taken be-
fore the Directors. OF course such thing
was out Of the question, even had the
Board been at the prison. 1t was crit
zeal moment; the huddled oonvicts were
surly and insubordinate, and refused to 90
to their quarters, and not until rifles and
gattling guns were trained upon them did
they obey. The whole affair was due to
the indisereet remark of the Director, and
which, whatever his convictions concern
ing the character of the food, should not
have been uttered within the hearing of
the prisoners.
The convicts in California prisons are
pretty nearly as well informed as to what
goes GA IN the outside world as free men.
since they are permitted to receive the
daily papers freely. This is an absurdly
objectionable concession. When men are
sentenced To confinement in the State
Prison, the purpose is to cut them off
from the world and punish and reform
them by so doing. We submit that the
end of confinement is defeated in part by
allowing the conyictS such access to the
news OF the world as in any degree con-
tents him with Imprisonment. The con-
victs at Folsom read all the criminal news /:
they know precisely what is said of them.
and their keeping; they read the debates
had before ard by the Prison Directors /:
they will follow the coming investigation
In detail as recorded in the press they
will know who testiies against them. what
the officers say against them, what fean
they entertain and what their hopes and
expectations are. To Just that extent the
power of the officers and the influence of
their labors among the convicts viii be
weakened. Through the press the prison
ers can communicate freely with their old
associates in crime, and in sense main
tam their interest in the doings of their
class-the very association of all others
from which they should be Withdrawn.
Reading matter of a proper order should
be supplied to prisoners, but the idea of a
convict with the morning newspaper-and
especially the sensational sheet-oyer his
coffee is absurd, antagonistic to the scheme
OF punishment and reform, and is power
full agency to prevent the maintenance of
discipline, and must tend to defeat the
reformation of the criminal.